1. Field of the Invention
This field of this invention relates to ladders. More specifically, the present invention is drawn to a ladder bracket which is removably attached to the side rails of a ladder and is designed to space the ladder away from a structure to prevent damage to any protruding items such as gutters, eave troughs, etc. Another feature of this invention is its unique design which allows for virtually infinite positioning along the length of the ladder side rail. The position of the ladder bracket is independent of location of the rungs and does not in any way rely upon the rung for attachment or positioning.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many various types of these brackets have been developed over the years to solve the problem of damage to gutters, etc. caused by leaning a ladder against them in use. Some attempts to alleviate this problem use the side of the structure to bear the force. These are commonly called "stand-offs". Other attempts were made to solve this problem by using a reinforcement device positioned within the gutter to bear the brunt of the force. All the attempts listed have disadvantages that the present invention addresses and solves.
One of the main disadvantages of the prior art is the complexity of design and thus difficulty of use. Another disadvantage is the heavy reliance on rungs for both support and positioning of the device. This causes problems in that the position of the device along the side rail is limited by the location of the rungs. Another disadvantage of the prior art is that the devices which do not use the rungs of the ladder for support and positioning have very complicated and cumbersome locking mechanism. In addition, many are of one piece design which may cause tripping hazards if access to the roof is required. The following patents show the general state of the art in this field.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,448,350 shows a single piece, rung supported device having a pivoted plate which engages the roof surface. This design is both inflexible to positioning and also poses a trip hazard with regard to the plate if roof access is required. Also notice the complicated locking mechanism. U.S. Pat. No. 2,815,160 shows a two piece ladder attachment which again is heavily reliant upon the rung for both positioning and support. Also the handle is inside the ladder rung area which poses a very serious trip hazard issue. U.S. Pat. No. 5,180,032 shows both a device for insertion into a gutter and also a ladder attachment which has side rails permanently attached to the ladder side rails. This requires permanent modification of the existing ladder structure for use.
As can be seen from the prior art a need exists for a ladder bracket which is both safe and easy to use. A more important need is for a ladder bracket which provides maximum adjustment and an unlimited range of positions along the side rail. This bracket is designed to fit virtually all makes and models of extension ladders. The present invention has all of these attributes along with an uncomplicated locking action which uses the natural weight and forces exerted in use to prevent movement of the ladder brackets along the side rails of the ladder.